Government Engagement

VKF is looking for a highly skilled professional with 4 to 8 years of proven expertise in research-based publications, government engagement, public policy, or strategy within the social impact sector. The ideal candidate will possess strong capabilities in conducting research and surveys, producing high-quality documentation and publications, and applying strategic thinking to position the organization as a thought leader through impactful advocacy and knowledge outputs.

The role demands confidence in engaging with and interviewing bureaucrats, government officials, and policymakers, along with the ability to translate insights into actionable publications and strategic narratives. The Specialist will lead the end-to-end process of drafting, curating, and disseminating a wide range of publicationsincluding policy briefs, knowledge papers, newsletters, and thought-leadership articlesthat showcase the organizations initiatives and impact.

Proficiency in Kannada (mandatory), along with strong command of English, is essential to effectively engage with local government officials, communities, and regional stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategies for engaging with government bodies, ministries, and policymakers.
• Map key stakeholders in government and public institutions and fix meetings with them to interact with them along with COO.
• Interact with the respective bureaucrats/designated officials to understand the challenges faced by their respective departments to execute the public services; Track the outcomes of engagements /advocacy interventions to understand/identify the need-based-interventions in the system.
• Translate complex policy and sectoral issues into accessible and evidence-based researched knowledge products.
• Research to anticipate alternative strategies and policy trends, analyze emerging regulations, fact-checking, peer reviews; and test the probabilities to identify advocacy opportunities.
• Assist COO to the validate and strategize the researched contents to publish the contents as strong advocacy and policy suggestions; in validation with the respective Government departments.
• Provide regular strategic insights and reports to the leadership team in development of policy briefs, whitepapers, reports, and strategic publications and support COO and, leadership in shaping government partnership models, editorial process, policy positioning, design knowledge-sharing platforms (seminars, roundtables, policy dialogues) to disseminate research findings.
• Collaborate with communications teams to amplify publications and advocacy outputs and ensure publications align with advocacy priorities and strengthen the organizations vision and thought leadership.
• Overall, support COO to represent organization with research backed strong contents to measure the impact on program decisions, and in policy dialogues, consultations, and multi-stakeholder platforms; and position the organization as a credible knowledge partner with government and sector stakeholders.

Qualification & Skills

• Master's degree in Public Policy, Journalism and Mass communications, Political Science, Development Studies, Economics, or related field.
• 4-8 years of experience in government relations, public policy strategy, or knowledge management in the social impact sector.
• Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills.
• Proven track record of drafting high-quality policy publications and advocacy documents.
• Strong understanding or keen to learn-analyse government structures, policymaking processes, and development programs.
• Ability to engage/interact confidently with senior government officials, think tanks, and research bodies.
• Survey, research or project management and strategic planning capabilities.

Key Attributes:

• Excellent Written/Vocal skills in Kannada language.
• Skilled in Research, Interviewing/Interactions, Documentation, and Publications skills.
• A mindset with attention to accuracy, quality, and evidence.
• Strong networking and relationship-building ability.
• Passionate about social impact and public policy innovation.
• Strategic thinker with policy foresight.